Too often when I look at the people of this country, I do so out of pity due to their poverty.

It's a natural thing to do, given the riches of the U.S. and my own blessed life in Alabama.

But at the same time, it's very presumptuous of me to think just because they are poor they are unhappy.

Lacking in material wealth does not mean one is lacking in life.

What drove it home was reading today's Scripture for the Mass in honor of St. Clare of Assisi. She, like many other saints and religious, consciously chose poverty to help her become richer in her spirituality.

I am well aware that most of the people in Afghanistan are not choosing to be poor. I am also aware that most of the people here, while not Christian, are devout in their Muslim faith. One has to wonder if the same would be true if they enjoyed material wealth.

The truth is I see more smiles on the faces of poor children here than I have seen at some schools in the richer parts of Birmingham. The adults here may not have much in the way of valuables, but they value what they do have -- family, health, home.

My realization will not cause me to stop handing out goodie bags to children or clothing and other items to adults. I know that what little we give them does nothing to change their overall economic status. What it does do is show them that we care about them on a human level.

But the next time we offer some assistance, I will try to do so simply out of love for my fellow man, not out of pity for their lot in life.

Although poverty has a strong grip on Afghanistan, I now realize I have seen very few poor Afghans.